Gorilla walk
(Book)

"Between them, Ted and Betsy Lewin have illustrated more than one hundred fifty books for children and young people ... Gorilla Walk is their first collaboration"--Book jacket.

Includes index.

"The Lewins' first collaboration recounts their 1997 journey to southern Uganda to view mountain gorillas. Before taking readers along on their expedition, the authors explain the phenomenon of ecotourism that makes such sightings possible: trackers spend up to two years habituating mountain gorillas to the presence of humans. Writing in the present tense, the Lewins emphasize the rough conditions, noting that 'the heat and humidity are dreadful' and, though their water supply is depleted, they trudge on, 'caked with mud, our hearts pounding from exertion, our faces sucked in from dehydration, our hair matted down with sweat.' The recounting of the first sighting of a mountain gorilla is curiously flat; the authors note that 'our thirst and fatigue are forgotten,' but they don't communicate excitement, much less exhilaration. The watercolor art alternates between labeled, sketchbook-type images and full-spread, realistic paintings rendered with an appreciation for light and shadow. The former offer a solid overview of the area's wildlife and illustrate selected moments in the Lewins' travelogue, while the latter situate readers at the trekkers' side. But the art disappoints in the encounters with the gorillas: the images of these animals are the least defined. Readers may come away with the feeling that one really had to be there to appreciate it.",Publishers weekly.,http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-688-16509-3

"This true adventure in the jungles of Uganda on the trail of the mountain gorilla will make armchair travelers shiver, and leave the squeamish grateful not to be trudging through mucky ankle-deep swamps, traversing giant fallen fig tree bridges over ravines that drop hundreds of feet into rocks and thorns, and coping with dreaded stinging safari ants. The Lewins traveled to Uganda in 1997, to the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park for an opportunity to view the mountain gorillas that have been habituated. Every step of the way the authors provide thumbnail sketches of plants and animals, and a detailed description of the journey. The gorillas appear in watercolor paintings that are dramatic and realistic, for a picture-book adventure not to be missed, and, with the continuing unrest in the area, perhaps not to be replicated any time soon.",Kirkus reviews.,https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/ted-lewin/gorilla-walk/

Describes an expedition into the field in southern Uganda to observe mountain gorillas in their native habitat.

ALA Notable Children's Book, 2000.